University of Virginia Library

Opening Shots

The opening shots of Edward
Everett Horton are nice. He plays
the tobacco tycoon Hiram Grayson
extremely well without uttering a
word. Bob Newhart comes on
strong as the scheming conniver of
the plan to make Grayson even
more famous than he is. The
tycoon offers $25 million to any
city that performs the impossible
feat of giving up smoking for 30
days.

The Reverend Clayton Brooks,
played by Dick Van Dyke,
seemingly rescues the near-destitute
town of Eagle Rock, Iowa, by
taking up the tycoon's challenge.
Most of the town's inhabitants are
played by real, homely people; but
their distorted facial expressions
and idiosyncrasies are overdone to
the point of gross ugliness. That, in
fact, is what happens to the entire
film.

"Cold Turkey" fires at one
target of American life after
another. Unfortunately for Director
Norman Lear, however, it is done in
a totally wrong way. First of all,
the base for the plot is too weak
and ridiculous to be credible. And
second, the characters are not
strong enough to sustain this
weakness. Third, the film lacks
subtlety in every way. Because of
these weaknesses, "Cold Turkey"
fails from the start; it is faced with
difficulties that are insurmountable.